The Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has argued that the most meaningful way for the government to honour the victims of the August 6, 2025 helicopter crash is to intensify efforts to eradicate illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to Mr Awuku, tackling the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining would be a fitting tribute to the late Defence Minister, Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, the late Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, and the six others who lost their lives in the tragic accident.
Speaking to the media after the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration on Thursday, August 6, 2026, Mr Awuku dismissed suggestions that the protest should have been postponed because it coincided with the National Inter-Faith Memorial Service held in memory of the crash victims.
He maintained that rather than focusing on the timing of the demonstration, attention should be directed towards the national issues the deceased would have considered important, particularly the fight against illegal mining.
“The biggest honour this government could have given to the lives that we lost on that fateful day was to stop galamsey. Today, galamsey is worse off,” he said.
Mr Awuku further contended that Dr Omane Boamah, if he were alive, would not have supported what he described as the continued destruction of Ghana’s lands and water bodies through illegal mining activities.
“I don’t think that if Omane Boamah were alive today he would have supported the vulgar degradation of our lands,” he stated.
The Akuapem North legislator stressed that the government could have demonstrated its commitment to preserving the memory of Dr Omane Boamah, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and the other victims by strengthening the campaign against galamsey.
“If this government wanted to honour the memory of Dr Edward Omane Boamah, my brother Murtala Mohammed, and the other lives that perished, they should have doubled their effort in combating and stopping galamsey,” he added.
Mr Awuku’s remarks came on the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight people on August 6, 2025. The Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District while travelling from Accra to the Ashanti Region on official duty.
Earlier on Thursday, a National Inter-Faith Memorial Service was held at University of Professional Studies, Accra to commemorate the victims and reflect on their contributions to national service.
